The Ohio State Softball team gives a shout-out to the crowd after defeating Indiana 2-0 on March 24, 2019. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | Lantern File Photo
The bats came alive for the Buckeyes during their first game on Sunday, but they came up just short against the Cornhuskers in the nightcap.
Ohio State (3-3) won its third contest of the season 4-2 over Nebraska (3-3) behind a three-hit complete game from senior right-handed pitcher Payton Buresch and two RBIs from sophomore second baseman Mya Rodriguez.
The Cornhuskers saw similar results from junior right-handed pitcher Courtney Wallace in Game 2, who hung on for a 2-1 complete game of her own after the Buckeyes scored one and loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning.
Game 1
Buresch started her third game of the weekend as Ohio State was the visitor in Game 1.
The Buckeyes had runners reach in the second and third innings, and stranded one on third base in the later frame.
Junior right fielder Kaitlyn Coffman reached on a leadoff walk and sophomore catcher Sam Hackenbracht followed with a double to put runners on second and third in the top of the fifth inning. Rodriguez drove in freshman Lindsey Potter, who pinch-ran for Coffman, on a single up the middle.
Nebraska didn’t record a hit until the fifth inning when senior second baseman Cam Ybarra doubled to left-center field. Freshman infielder Camyl Armendariz pinch ran for Ybarra and scored on senior first baseman Amanda Owen’s single to second base.
The Buckeyes scratched two more runs off the bat of Rodriguez when Cornhuskers freshman shortstop Billie Andrews made an error, which allowed freshman utility Kirsten Eppele and senior third baseman Niki Carver to score.
The Cornhuskers added their second run when senior center fielder Tristen Edwards hit an inside-the-park home run to right field. Buresch got Ybarra to ground out to first base to seal the win. The righty struck out two batters and allowed three hits and an earned run.
Game 2
Freshman right-handed pitcher Allison Smith took to the circle for her third start of the weekend as the Buckeyes were the home team for Game 2. Nebraska countered with Wallace, and the two pitchers matched one another through the first two innings.
Cornhuskers senior center fielder Rylie Unzicker led off the top of the third inning with a double and scored when Andrews followed with a single to right field.
The Buckeyes bats couldn’t get much going as Wallace retired 10-straight opposing hitters before Ohio State put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
A walk to Edwards put runners on first and second base, prompting Buckeyes head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly to relieve Smith with Buresch. Ybarra hit an RBI double before Buresch retired the final two Cornhuskers hitters and allowed the Buckeyes one final opportunity to put something together down 2-0 entering the bottom of the seventh.
Sophomore third baseman Taylor Pack led off the bottom of the frame with a double to left-center field, then Wallace got the next two Buckeyes batters out by way of a groundout and a strikeout.
Senior designated-player Megan McMenemy singled to put runners on the corners, then junior center fielder Meggie Otte blooped an RBI single over Nebraska’s sophomore third baseman Brooke Andrews to put Ohio State within one run.
Sophomore left fielder Tegan Cortelletti chopped a single over Andrews to load the bases with two outs for Rodriguez, who had arguably been the Buckeyes’ best hitter of the day after driving in two runs in Game 1. However, Rodrgiuez hit a low-hopper to third base to end the game.
Ohio State will return to Leesburg, Florida, from March 11-14 for three games against Wisconsin and another three-game series versus Northwestern.
